Can You Keep A Secret?
by XxVampireluvaxX
Summary: Angel dwells on a memory of a thirteen year old Fang’s thoughts and the secret she promised to keep. FAX OneShot.


**Can You Keep A Secret?**

**By: Crazyanimeluva**

Summery: Angel dwells on a memory of a thirteen year old Fang's thoughts and the secret she promised to keep. FAX One-Shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride and all associated characters.

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_Author Note_

Okay, again I haven't died yet (like some of you hope), and again I apologize for my extremely long periods of time not updating any of my stories (cause I'm hopeless like that).

The only good and slightly depressing news is that I updated the rewritten chapter one of Meeting You, and I've already written chapter two and three and both are being edited. I've started on chapter four, and remember, I'm REWRITTING the whole thing, because I don't like any of it.

So for the people who are Maximum Ride addicts like me, I hope you'll like this. I wrote this while waiting for Maximum Ride three to come out. I've read it, I loved it, and now I'm writing fanfiction!

The only thing I didn't like about it was the ending because it was such a good book and sometimes I didn't like Fang's personality because in the first book he always seemed broody and in the third book he seems a bit too talkative. Overall, I loved it! I'm completely obsessed with Maximum Ride again.

I had the idea for this story for quite some time and it took me forever to edit it. Now I'm coming up with all kinds of stories, so keep an eye out if you can be patient with me. Enjoy!

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"IGGY! GAZZY!"

Angel sat on the floor in the corner of the hotel room that the Flock were staying in for the past two days, due to Max's sudden decision to splurge, or rather, the younger Flock members ganging up on her with Bambi eyes and convincing her to splurge.

"I didn't do it." Iggy said vaguely.

"Me either." Gazzy said following his immediate denial.

"Then explain the parts I found all over the bathroom floor, and don't tell me it was the elves Gazzy." Max frowned, obviously annoyed, placing her hands on her hips.

Angel was fondling Celeste with Total curled up at her feet and observing Max with interest as she yelled at Iggy and the Gasman over their latest explosives, which had made them with the bathroom hairdryer.

"You can't just take apart something that doesn't belong to you! God knows how people love it when you guys dissemble their hairdryers." Max scowled at them, obviously irritated.

"Hmm…" Angel murmured, scratching Total behind the ears. She turned to look at Fang who was watching the scene unfold with an unusually distracted and soft visage, the lower feathers of his wings were uneven.

Angel waited until he snapped out of it and caught her gaze. He raised a finger to his mouth in a "shh" gesture and sat down on the bed, still watching Max quarrelling with Iggy and Gazzy.

This reminded Angel of the secret she kept since she had turned five. She leaned back against the wall and permitted herself to grin.

* * *

_One Year Ago_

It was at a very young age that Angel realized that she was to avoid reading Fang's thoughts. Occasionally she would brush his mind out of fascination.

Usually he was contemplating over a very deep topic that she didn't quite understand, and most of the time he safeguarded his thoughts whenever she was around.

Once in awhile, Angel would come and talk to him, hoping to ease any lonely feelings that lingered in his mind. She definitely considered him to be her older brother.

Fang, Max, and Iggy had all turned thirteen in the past year, Angel herself had just turned five, Gazzy and Nudge had turned seven and ten respectively the year before.

The younger Flock members had mostly recovered from Jeb's sudden disappearance.

Max had steadily settled into her leadership role, Iggy found his way of coping by cooking, and Fang…had slowly stopped interacting with the others. He came out of his shell a lot less frequently than he did when Jeb was around.

Angel had discovered that it wasn't often that Fang was pleased with himself, or content with what was going around him. He had a habit of retreating into himself even after leaving the School, perhaps training himself to be alone (one of the many things Angel dreaded).

It had been a sunny, March morning when Fang and Angel caught sight of Max scolding Iggy and Gazzy for breaking her Mickey Mouse clock for the fourth time. It just so happened that Fang was not being careful with his thoughts, and Angel had decided to scan everyone's thoughts out of pure curiosity, just as she always did when she was bored and when something that fascinated everyone came up.

_Max looks cute when she's mad. Max... I want to tell her that I like her…_

Angel's eyes widened, as she stared at Fang, his eyes had softened and his lips formed a rare gentle smile. His mind was unbelievably chaotic, swirling with warm feelings, and he seemed confused, understanding, happy, and sad all at the same time. It was as if all his harbored feelings for Max had suddenly poured out after he saw her.

Angel quickly cut herself off from Fang, slightly embarrassed for having invaded thoughts with so much…emotion…she couldn't even find the word for it. The thoughts didn't even seem like they belonged to someone like Fang. The desired intimacy and passion he emitted was far too overwhelming for a five-year-old girl.

"Fang?" She asked softly, eyes still wide. He turned to look at her and flinched, finally realizing that she was there and that she had read his thoughts. Then Fang suddenly became expressionless and took a hold of Angel's forearm and pulled her to the hallway.

Angel had grown up with this guy, even though his face betrayed no emotion, she could that he was nervous from the way he walked and the way his wings weren't tucked in as neatly to his back as it usually was.

His end feathers were ruffled, some sticking out in different directions, and the joints where his wings attached to his back between the shoulder blades were stiff with tension.

_What did she hear about Max? Does she know about my feelings for…_

Questions like these were surfacing with embarrassment in his mind. After they had moved a safe distance away from the rest of the flock, Fang looked at Angel.

"Angel…what-?" He started to say.

"Do you like Max?" She blurted. Fang's eyes widened a fraction before he let out a defeated sigh.

"Yes…"

"Since when?" Angel asked excitedly.

"Since…" He paused, "Geez, I don't even know…" He placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes.

"When?"

Fang looked down into Angel's excited eyes, "A little while after I met her."

"Why were you staring at Max like that when she was mad?" Angel extended her wings and flexed them slightly out of excitement.

"I…let's just say that Max looks funny when she's angry." His lip twitched.

"You mean cute." Angel corrected, smiling.

"Wh…where did you hear that?" Angel tried not to grin as Fang's face flushed.

"In a movie, and in your head. Are you going to tell her, Fang? I mean, you've liked her for so long."

Fang let out another sigh and the flush on his cheeks disappeared. How could he expect a five-year-old to understand what he was feeling? He ran a hand through his hair and waited for a moment to calm down.

He bent down on one knee and took Angel's small hands in his own. This was serious, he usually wasn't this open Angel realized.

"Angel, can you keep a secret?" He waited for her to nod before continuing slowly in an urgent tone, "You need to promise me that you won't ever tell Max that I…like…her…in that way."

"Okay. Can I tell Nudge?" Angel asked hopefully.

"No." Fang replied sternly.

"What about Gazzy? Or Iggy?"

"You can't tell anyone Angel. Promise. It's a secret." He said, his eyes pleaded with her gently.

"Why?" Angel asked, confusion makings its way across her face.

"Because it will be more…important…when I tell Max myself." He said softly, smiling to himself.

"Oh…okay. I promise, I won't tell anyone, Fang." Angel suddenly felt cheerful, understanding what he meant.

"Thank you." He looked slightly relieved.

_I love Max…_

"I know you do. I'm glad. When are you going to tell her?" Angel asked as they started walking back toward the rest of the group.

"Some day." Fang said while smiling gently. Angel watched as he opened his wings to full length and quickly tucked them in again, this time with extreme neatness to his back, the dark, charcoal-colored feathers evenly aligned with each other. She smiled, glad that he seemed more at ease in her company.

When they entered the room, his face became impassive again, and Angel sighed inwardly. She would wait.

"Geez, where were you guys, you missed most of the fight." Nudge said, grinning. Max snorted disapprovingly.

"I don't see what entertainment you guys get when I get mad at _someone_." Max turned to glare at Iggy and Gazzy who both scowled and unhappily went into their room.

"Anyway, what were you doing?" Max continued, frowning slightly.

"I didn't want Angel to be exposed to your wrath." Fang said in a bored tone.

"Right…" Max scoffed, heading for her room and closing the door with more force than usual. Fang stared at her closed door for a moment, leaving Angel smiling.

"What did I miss?" Angel asked as Fang turned and walked into his room. She hoped some day would come soon.

* * *

_Present_

Fang was staring at the furious Max, with the same out of it look on his face.

"What?!" Max asked sharply. Fang's eyes flickered to Angel and went back to Max.

"_Wait…_"Angel thought to him. His gaze lingered on her again. The slightly ruffled feathers on lower part of his wings quickly flattened against his back. He gave her a calm, slightly appreciative look.

_I know._

She heard him sigh quietly in his mind and smiled.

"Nothing." He replied coolly before he turned to the TV.

Angel covered her smile with a hand. Although the development was slow, and everyone knew except Max and Fang themselves it was always interesting to watch.

That secret would get out some day, and she knew it would be worth keeping for now. It would be even more special when they found out by themselves. Some day.

_End_

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Well I hope you like it! I'm still kind of not happy with it, and I may edit it later. Please review and let me know what you think! 


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